by USA TODAY Sports staff, USA TODAY

by USA TODAY Sports staff, USA TODAY

The New York Times, citing sources with direct knowledge of the situation, reported late Friday night that Lance Armstrong has told associates and anti-doping officials that he is considering a public admission to using performance-enhancing drugs and blood transfusions during his cycling career.

Citing its sources, the newspaper reports that Armstrong is considering this in hopes of having his eligibility restored after receiving a lifetime ban from the United States Anti-Doping Agency last October.

Armstrong's longtime lawyer, Tim Herman, told USA TODAY Sports: "There are no ongoing discussions with USADA or (World Anti-Doping Agency chief) David Howman as reported in the NYT. That is the only comment at this time."

Earlier Herman told the Times he had no knowledge of a possible admission.

Said Herman to the Associated Press: "When, and if, Lance has something to say, there won't be any secret about it."

Armstrong, 41, who recovered from testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain, had his seven Tour de France titles stripped to go along with the lifetime ban. Although he has vehemently denied doping, Armstrong's athletic career crumbled under the weight of a massive report by USADA detailing allegations of drug use by Armstrong and his teammates on his U.S. Postal Service teams.

The report caused Armstrong to lose most of his personal corporate sponsor, and he recently stepped down from the board of Livestrong, the cancer-fighting charity he founded in 1997.

Armstrong is facing other legal hurdles.

The U.S. Department of Justice is considering whether to join a federal whistle-blower lawsuit filed by former Armstrong teammate Floyd Landis. A Dallas-based promotions company has also said it wants to recover several million dollars paid to Armstrong in bonuses for winning the Tour de France. The British newspaper The Sunday Times has sued Armstrong to recover $500,000 paid to him to settle a libel lawsuit.